I see some Jewel Weed and one of the flowers has a little teeny bit of sunlight striking it and I think as I'm changing my lens to zoom in on it "oh the ephemeral quality of light" and these little flowers sort of look like butterflies and what about the ephemeral quality of butterflies and I need to make an exposure adjustment and then I look up and I'm so into my ephemeral thoughts that the light has passed and it's no longer hitting the flower.

It's still a pretty beautiful scene.

During the Democratic National Convention in Boston, I was on the day shift. Sunday morning, the day before the convention, I was assigned to shoot last-minute preparations at the Fleet Center, but everything was already ready!

I then headed over to the Public Garden, hoping to find delegates riding the Swan Boats. While I sat on bench and fruitlessly waited, I snapped this shot of a boat not yet pressed into service. I was fascinated by the "No Trepassing" sign: Who made it? Who ties it on each evening? Is there a special knot? Is it effective?

All the Democratic stars were in town. This young woman beams after former President Bill Clinton shook her hand and signed her copy of his book, My Life, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Boston. She waits for one of Clinton's staff to hand her the signed book.

As the first national political convention post 9/11, security measures were heavy. State troopers stopped and searched trucks heading into Boston. Given the constitutional hoopla about random bag searches of passengers riding on Boston's subway, I wondered why I had not heard any concerns raised about these highway stoppings.

A cage-like designated protest area was set up across from the convention site. Many protest groups were outraged by the degrading conditions. I covered some anti-abortion folks protesting the pen on the basis that it restricted their right to free expression. Putting up a banner that read: "Pens are for animals not Americans," the demonstrators wore gags symbolizing the silencing of dissent. This right-of-free-spech stance humanized a group with which I had felt no previous connection. Moving past an ideological stereotype, I felt some kinship.

For convention week, Boston was nearly empty save for delegates, media and others flocking to the convention for exposure. Dummies sat in the back of this convertible. Kerry is partially visible behind the Bushes. In the front seat, a man wears a Bill Clinton mask. He handed out a card that said: "Want to cast a ballot for your favorite dummy? Register to vote." A non-partisan voter registration effort.

Our Washington bureau chief Dave Cook brought his breakfast gatherings of journalists and newsmakers to Boston for the duration of the convention. John Kerry's daughters Vanessa and Alexandra wowed the crowd with their grace and forthrightness. A reporter asked how they felt about their personal lives coming under media scrutiny, including their former boyfriends. How would you feel?

Media trainer Lorna Virgili (right) gives feedback to Kip Patrick, who works in public relations and was in Boston volunteering for the Louisiana Delegation. "Remember to give them the ten-second sound bite," she told him. "You edit, not me, the reporter." The seminar was part of a series of workshops held by Democratic Gain (Grassroots Action Institute and Network), training Democrats in everything from how to be interviewed by the media to voter registration.

Over at the Fleet Center, the pros were at work. CNN's Wolf Blitzer (left) interviewed hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons on the floor of the Democratic National Convention. "Hip-hop mogul." Could there exist a hipper title?